Review of the Latest News from Distributors/Wholesalers

Available from specialist distributor Switchtec, Citel surge protection devices (SPDs) meet onerous new legislation set out in the latest IET Standards’ ‘Guide to Highway Electrical Street Furniture’. Significantly, Citel SPDs meet the tight new legislation where many of the existing LED drivers with integral surge protection do not.

With the advent of LED luminaires and their associated central management control technologies, the value of the technology located within the highway has increased, as has its susceptibility to transient over voltages. These considerations will only increase as authorities look to the development of ‘smart city’ technologies using the public lighting asset, and this may present a weakness in the system. To limit the effect of transients to an acceptable level the most effective solution is the installation of separate surge protection devices.

Many of the surge protection devices built into LED drivers are not suitable because they do not provide the level of protection required, there is no indicator to show when it has failed and upon failure, the whole driver may then fail and require replacement. The IET standards guide clearly states, “It is therefore better to consider a separate surge protector, which may be located within the luminaire or at the base of the column, the latter being easier to monitor for performance, risk of failure, etc. LED luminaires and other highway/public-realm electronic equipment should therefore be supplied fitted with a stand-alone single-phase compact surge protection device…”

The Citel range of SPDs for LED lighting is a complete range of AC SPDs specifically designed for the protection of LED lighting systems and all models include a built in status indicator.

Featuring a remote signal output, Citel’s MLP model’s small design enables it to be installed inside the lantern/luminaire. The MLPC model is Citel’s most popular SPD for LED applications, similarly offering a compact design that makes it perfect for installation inside the LED lantern/luminaire. Both of these models are for type 2 or 3 SPD, class 1 or class 2 operation with a maximum discharge current of 10kA.

The MLPX1 is Citel’s ultra compact SPD for LED lighting. Its ultra-compact size was designed to fit into smaller lanterns/luminaires where space is limited. The MSB6 is Citel’s ultra compact type 3 SPD for 230VAC networks. The diminutive size of both of these models makes them ideal for use with lanterns designed without consideration for an SPD, where space is severely limited.

The DS98L is a DIN rail mounted SPD for installation into the cut-out box in the base of the LED street light column, its compact design allowing easy integration within the confined space of the cut-out box. It utilizes the powerful combination of a MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) and a gas discharge tube secured by a thermal disconnector. Similarly, the DSLP range is an ultra low profile series of AC SPDs for DIN rail mounting inside the cutout box in the base of the LED street light column.

Citel offers a full range of surge protectors designed to be installed at different points on the lighting network such as the luminaire, the base of columns and in street cabinets. The range embraces every type of outdoor LED lighting system and location including urban, rural, motorway, rail and tunnels. A true expert in its field, Citel has been manufacturing SPDs since 1944 and is one of the last remaining manufacturers of gas discharge tubes, the basic component of a high-quality SPD.